SPECIAL EVENTS & PROGRAMS

Stay Informed

All branches closed Monday 8 June for Queen's Birthday Public Holiday. Covid-19 update: new
holds may now be placed, our return chutes are open, and most YPRL library
branches are open for Click & Collect service Monday – Friday. Ivanhoe Library is currently closed.

How to Keep YouTube Kids Safe

YouTube is a fantastic source of learning materials for your children and you might think that YouTube Kids is safe for children to view and explore on their own. However, children can still encounter disturbing videos even though this version of the YouTube app does filter some content. Here is a list of 5 ways you can make YouTube kids safer for your children to use.

It is important that you, as their parent, are aware of what they are watching online. Ensure your children are in the same room as you when they are viewing YouTube Kids content.

Subscribe to channels or use the Approved Content only function

If you only want your children to watch videos already chosen by you, you can use the “Approved content only” function on YouTube Kids to do so. This limits the available videos on the service to just those that have been previously approved. You can also make custom playlists from the YouTube Kids app and limit viewing to the video playlist you have curated. You can also subscribe to specific channels and only allow those channels to be viewed.

Pause their watch history

The YouTube Kids app allows you to pause the watch history algorithm for your students. This will stop the app from recommending videos related to the ones they’ve already watched. This eliminates a large amount of non-vetted content and access to potentially harmful content.

Utilize Restricted Mode

Restricted Mode isn’t a 100% fail-safe, but it does flag and eliminate a great deal of offensive and inappropriate content. When used in conjunction with other supervisory precautions, Restricted Mode can eliminate the vast majority of potentially harmful videos.

There are many safeguards available, especially within the bounds of the YouTube Kids app, which can help you monitor your children’s YouTube viewing habits. Using any of these safeguards can help protect your children from offensive content.

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